Monday, November 25, 2024

          It is remarkable that both Psalm 106 and 107 begin the same way.  It would seem that the Holy Spirit used both chapters to drive home the same important lesson for us to see.  Each opening verse says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.”  No one can argue with that simple declaration.  The Lord is both good and loving.  That statement abounds in truth.  And His love endures forever.  He alone is worthy of our highest praise and thanksgiving—both in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and the other days of the year as well.  Though verses two and three in each of these two Psalms are different, they still speak to the matter of telling what the Lord has done.  Psalm 106:2 raises a question, “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?”  Psalm 107:2 makes a statement, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”  The lesson we learn from these two side-by-side Psalms is the importance of speaking about what the Lord has done for us or given to us.  Thankfulness is not intended to be a silent and secluded endeavor.  It is also not to be forgotten or overlooked. 
            We can easily speak about what the Lord has done for us.  We can speak of His grace in harsh and challenging times.  We can speak about His forgiveness in times of guilt or shame.  We can speak about His comfort in times of sorrow or loss.  We can write about what He has done for us.  Social media is a great way today to testify about the Lord’s goodness and reach a broad audience.  Card-sending, emailing and texting can help you to declare the Lord’s goodness and grace for others to read, hear and see.
            God even blesses us while we are expressing our gratitude.  Psalm 107:8-9 reminds us, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”  Gratitude often helps us to see what God has been doing and reveals those empty places where we still need for God to be at work in us.  I recently saved a newspaper column with the following heading, “Mother Who Drowned Sons Doesn’t Deserve Forgiveness.”  The column addressed the possibility that South Carolina inmate Susan Smith might be paroled after serving nearly thirty years for drowning both of her sons in 1994.  Now to be sure, that crime was horrific and unspeakably terrible.  And many others who did not have the kind of criminal defense she had might have been given the death penalty for such a crime.
            However, my first reaction after reading the headline was to think that I do not deserve forgiveness either.  I have not done anything to deserve God’s grace, forgiveness or any second chances (or multiple other chances either). Forgiveness is never really a gift that we earn or deserve.  And that really is the whole point of grace and forgiveness—we do not deserve either one.  Both are offered to us by a gracious and loving God who does not treat us as we have earned or deserved (see Psalm 103 for a further treatment of this reality).  We do not deserve any of the gifts or kindnesses that God has extended to us.  And taking time to acknowledge these wonderful, priceless and matchless gifts is at the heart of thankfulness and gratitude.  The legal or criminal merits of parole for Smith can be debated and likely will be for months or even years to come.  But ultimate forgiveness does not rest with civil authorities or society to determine, to convey or to withhold.  We can leave forgiveness for Smith to the Lord and her relationship or lack of relationship with Him.  But we can surely be grateful that forgiveness is available to us…today and any time we call upon the name of the Lord.  We can start over and enjoy a new day with the Lord when we turn to Him in repentance and humility.  Remember the power of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  That promise is a reason for Thanksgiving!